LUCAS BALLARAT / / ISSUE 03 / / SPRING 2020 THE LUCAS CHRONICLE IS A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER PROUDLY IN THIS EDITION BROUGHT TO YOU BY CENTRAL PARK SPRING GARDENING AND LUCAS CRG LOCAL VOLCANOES YOUR SOURCE FOR COMMUNITY STORIES IN LUCAS Integra acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land we live and work on, the Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung People, and recognises their continuing connection to the land and waterways. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People LUCAS COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER LUCAS CENTRAL PARK Welcome to the Spring edition of the Lucas Community Newsletter, The Lucas Chronicle. Grab a cuppa and take the A PLACE FOR EVERYONE! time to read up on some stories from the people who live, work and learn in Lucas and surrounds. Thank you to everyone who has contributed We know you have all been eagerly Making up the space is to this edition. Contributions are welcome awaiting the opening of the Lucas 200 Red Gum Sleepers from the Lucas community, you can Central Park. This project has evolved submit stories or story ideas by emailing into a community space that is much 1816m3 of oval top soil [email protected] larger than first anticipated and the end result is amazing. Since our last update 2,501m of pathways A big thank you to those community groups and locals who contributed to this edition. there have been some more additions 3,403m2 of concrete to the Central Park Space including planting, goal posts for the full size AFL 4 slides oval and soccer goal posts. 7 swings IN THIS EDITION There are some additional minor works 40,000 plants such as a public toilet and BBQ facilities We hear from local Lucas Veterinary Clinic with that will be completed in coming months. 2 BBQ’s some great tips on caring for your pets skin. Drinking fountains will be turned off to 12,000 hours worked Our friends at Wilsons Fruit and Vegetables begin with, as are all drinking fountains share a great recipe from Tim Bone. We meet across Ballarat currently. The BBQs will And much more… Michael Unwin and hear about our local initially have a timber plate until power winery and take a trip to Birdsong Nursery. is finalized. Thanks everyone for your patience in recent months. We also have some great tips from Avalon The landscape crew and project Nursery for spring gardening as well as a managers have put many hours into the look at a local Lucas garden. Plus info from space and we are so happy to hand it our local schools and early learning and over to the community! Image by: Kristy Kinnersly much more! LUCAS BALLARAT / / ISSUE 03 / / SPRING 2020 WELCOME TO SPRING! COMMUNITY GARDEN UPDATE How great is it to see the sunshine creeping passed- usually November in Ballarat. back in and gardens doubling in size with If you haven’t already, now is the time the perfect cocktail of sun and rain? to start things like tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, cucumber and summer herbs The Lucas community garden is like basil. Pumpkin, squash and zucchini flourishing, with everything in it suddenly varieties will go in soon too. coming to life after a sleepy Winter, including, unfortunately, the weeds! Some things can go directly in the garden Beetroot greens are looking lush and now too- this week we’ve planted some healthy, though they’re still small below rainbow silverbeet seeds, marigold the soil. Onions and garlic are growing and cornflowers. Cornflowers are both strongly too- they’ll be ready to harvest beautiful and edible, did you know? Edible mid Summer hopefully. Brassicas have flowers are a fantastic addition to liven up burst into flower with the warmer weather, the look of Spring and Summer salads- try you may have noticed lots of cheery yellow pansies, nasturtiums, calendula petals, recently, up until we pulled them to make cornflower and borage flowers, or flowers room for new Spring planting! from pea, bean and brassica plants! The community garden team has gone Volunteer catch ups at the garden will through some changes recently, with the hopefully resume soon in small groups, latest group of volunteers forming an and in line with Covid-19 safety protocols. official incorporated committee keen to see Make sure to keep an eye on the Lucas the garden thrive and become a permanent Community Garden Facebook page for fixture in Lucas. Keep an eye out for updates. New committee members and some other upcoming changes around regular volunteers are most welcome the community garden too- a produce and and much needed, so please get in touch seed swap box will be on its way, along if you’d like to be part of the project in with some clearer signage to help everyone some way. know what to pick and when. [email protected] Right now we’re planting some seedlings for Spring that will be transplanted into LUCAS COMMUNITY GARDEN the garden after the risk of frost has SPRING GARDENING TIPS FROM AVALON NURSERY AVALON NURSERY BALLARAT Spring has well and truly sprung, and new specialised plant food. Mulching your life is appearing throughout the garden, gardens with an organic based mulch from bulbs emerging and blooming to such as pea-straw or bark retains much deciduous trees budding into leaf and needed soil moisture as the weather gets flower. The weather is getting warmer, warmer, as well as inhibiting the growth and all of the garden projects that you of unwanted weeds. have been thinking about over winter can get started. Mid spring is a great time to start on your spring and summer veggie gardens – it is The most important thing to do for your the perfect time to get your blueberries the heat of summer arrives. Traditional garden before planting is to prepare the and strawberries in, and start planting garden favourites such as Hydrangeas soil – this goes for preparing to plant and planning your spring and summer come into season in late spring and early the smallest seedling to the tallest tree. crops, such as carrots, beans and peas. summer, and summer bulbs such as Adding organic matter to the soil such as Tomatoes can be started as well, but need Lilliums, Gladioli, Peonies and Dahliahs compost improves the soil’s structure, to be protected from the cold in hothouses can be planted from mid spring onwards. as well as adding nutrients, improving until the risk of frost is gone, this is aeration and drainage, and creating an usually around the start of November The friendly and knowledgeable staff environment for beneficial soil microbes – or around Melbourne Cup day, as the at Avalon Nursery in Haddon can help and earthworms to thrive. traditional wisdom goes. you with all of your spring gardening needs; you can visit David, Joanna and Your existing plants deserve a bit of If an edible garden is not the garden of their team at 41 Kopkes Road, Haddon. nurturing too; they will benefit greatly choice, early spring is an ideal time to get Open Weekdays 8.30am – 5.00pm, open from an application of liquid feed or other plants established in the garden before Weekends 8.30am – 4.00pm. LUCAS BALLARAT / / ISSUE 03 / / SPRING 2020 A COLOURFUL SPACE BY SANDRA CLOUGH then later in the day is exposed to the I am not one that knows all plants and Sandra moved to Lucas from Melbourne west sun , you do have to select the plants their names, I basically have learnt a little in 2016, to be close to family. Her favourite Gardening is a great form that like the full sun, I only have one small over the years and go on the advice of area of her garden is her back yard, with of relaxation and it is area that is a little protected and this is some nursery people and read the labels all the colour she has established she where the Standard Gardenia is. A recent of something I like. I have had some plants can enjoy it from her kitchen and living such a pleasure as there addition to this area is a Hydrangea and that have not liked the cold weather in room. The colours as well as perfumes is always something new some Hellebores. Ballarat, Melbourne weather is more of a flower garden are a delight and temperate and does not have the extreme being able to pick your own flowers for popping it’s head up Not all my plants are purchased some frosts that can occur here. inside or for others is something Sandra have been cuttings etc from friends and enjoys. Her grandchildren also love as I say I split and replant some of the If you would like your garden to be featured coming to see her beautiful flowers. The plants once established thus one or two or know someone who would, get in contact pots can eventually go a long way. at [email protected] house Sandra purchased here in Lucas garden. I also don’t have to constantly was 6 months old and the front garden attend the garden as the plants look plan was set out. Here is a little on how after themselves once established, I she utilised what she could from the do prune the roses a few times when existing garden while making positioning they are flowering to encourage new SEARCH FOR changes and additions to help the garden flowers, and of course prune back hard thrive as described by Sandra… once a year.